Running On Empty
by TheWonderYears
Summary: Of course the guy taking pictures of him trying to kill himself was a murder suspect. Of course. It went perfectly with all the messed up stuff going on in his life right now. SasuNaru AU
1. Chapter 1

Running On Empty

**Summary:** Of course the guy taking pictures of him trying to kill himself was a murder suspect._ Of course_. It went absolutely perfectly with all the messed up stuff going on in his life right now. SasuNaru AU

**Based on a Manhwa with the same name**

**Genre:** Drama, Romance, Humor

**Warnings:** Sexual Situations, Language

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, any of the characters, or the Manhwa 'Running on Empty' by Kim Jea-eun

**_One_**

This fucking _sucked._

Naruto ascended the stairs leisurely, cigarette in hand and schoolbag slung over his shoulder. His pace slowed as he saw the light peeping though the small window in the roof entrance door. Was he really going to do this? Not really. _Probably._ No, no, he was just planning on… looking, just to see how far it would actually be, how long it would take him to hit the ground_. Liar._

It had been two days since he'd been home, four since he attended school, one month after transferring to said school, two months since he'd began to smoke, and half a year since he'd found out about his father's hypocrisy. Life shouldn't be so fucked up when he was only eighteen.

He reached the door, sighed, and pushed it open. It really was a beautiful day; sunny, bright, with fluffy clouds sliding across the sky. Naruto made his way over to the ledge, only a single, rusty pipe separating him from falling. _Huh, people really do look like ants from this high up. _He thought offhandedly. He dropped his satchel on the ground and climbed over the railing, looking down blankly at the city below. And then he just…stood there, arms limp and hands fisted at his sides, staring. No matter how much he told himself that nothing mattered, that he'd get through this, get through _everything_, he kept coming back to the same conclusion: He really wanted to fucking jump.

Naruto took a long drag of his cigarette and closed his eyes. He made sure to enjoy it, because it would definitely (probably) be his last one ever…maybe. No, he was going to do it. He was tired of the bullshit and the harsh whispers and the pain. He didn't have the patience for it anymore, or the wherewithal to handle it. So he made up his mind; He was just going to die. No ifs ands or buts about it. He flicked his cigarette over the side, watching it as it twisted and flipped midair. _If only I could fall like that. _

The wind blew harshly suddenly, making Naruto grip the pipe quickly to keep from falling over.

_Wait…isn't that what I want? To fall? Dammit, the wind is hurting my eyes!_

Naruto felt his legs begin to tremble.

_Damn, why are my legs trembling? It's because of the wind…it has to be._

Naruto breathed deeply to calm himself. It was no big deal; he was still going to do this. Besides, there was probably no one in the world that wasn't the least bit scared when they were going to _jump off of a building._ Yeah, he was okay. He'd made up his mind, he-

Just got smacked in the face by something black and _huge_.

"Ahh! What the hell is this!?" He yelled. His hands momentarily left the railing to claw at his face, trying desperately to grab whatever attacked him.

In his panic, his foot took a step closer to the edge.

Finally grabbing and tossing what he soon realized was a black plastic bag, Naruto quickly re-gripped the pipe behind him, trying to catch his breath. _Stupid plastic bag. Thought I was going to die. _He paused when he realized what he just thought, but then shook his head.

_I'm going to do it. Definitely. But…what's to say I'll die for sure? This isn't the tallest building in the city. What if I'm unlucky and fall and just break my back or something? _ Naruto had a horrible vision of himself confined to a wheelchair, unable to more. He flinched. _Holy hell, I don't want that! I've seen that on the news before. Parapha-somethings, they're called right? Will I been on the news? Once they figure out I'm __**his **__son it will only get bigger. Great. _

Naruto was so lost in thought; he didn't hear the subtle click of a camera going off and kept on silently freaking out. He got the feeling that someone was looking at him, and glanced up. Across the way, sitting on another ledge of another building was man holding a camera, clicking away. He seemed older than Naruto, if not by a few years, and had pitch-black shoulder-length shaggy hair. His outfit was plain; only a black cardigan and skinny jeans and a white tee-shirt underneath. It was weird, though. From Naruto's angle it almost seemed like the guy had angel's wings. Not to mention that fancy-looking camera. Wait, come to think of it-

_What the heck's he taking pictures of? _

Naruto realized that the camera was pointed at _him_. This asshole was taking some goddamn pictures of him while he was trying to _kill himself._

"Hey, you bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing? Put away that fucking camera!" Naruto yelled at him, pissed off. How dare he? Naruto was already having a hard enough time as it was! He didn't need somebody watching him! Naruto continued to yell obscenities at him.

"Ugh, it's hard to capture things like this." The Mystery Man muttered to himself, completely ignoring Naruto's screaming while he continued to _click_ away. He wanted the pretty blond kid to pipe down a little so he could focus on his pictures. "So energetic." He chuckled to himself. "Hard to believe he was planning on going _splat _a moment ago."

"Anyway," Sasuke yelled over to the boy that was nearly foaming at the mouth, "You won't be that great to look at once you hit the ground, now will you? Just seizing the opportunity is all!"

_That_ made Naruto shut up. He froze, and shook slightly with controlled anger. _That son-of-a-bitch!_ He'd just have to get rid of him if he wanted to jump, now wouldn't he? Naruto stuck his middle finger up at the guy and spun around to climb back over the railing.

"Hmm, what's this?" Sasuke said to no one in particular. "Did he just leave? Too bad." Sasuke lowered his camera, actually disappointed. He was getting so pretty good shots of the blond-haired boy. He thought that his wild mane and fiery eyes looked absolutely breathtaking against the backdrop of the sky. His musings were interrupted by someone joining him on the roof.

"Boss!" Suigetsu called to him, looking slightly out of breath. He was dressed wonderfully, as always.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "And what's with those wings?" Sasuke smirked, causing his cigarette to shift a little in his mouth.

"They gave them to me back at the store when I brought this cake." He said, gesturing to the cake that sat half-eaten by his bag. Half eaten only because a different, more… _delectable _type of food had stolen his interest.

"I was having a birthday party. Today's my birthday." Suigetsu raised an eyebrow.

"Why so pitiful? Everyone's been looking for you. You'll…need to wrap up the job before... you know. If you pull out like this, what're we supposed to do?" Sasuke frowned.

"No, I _don't_ know. I told you it wasn't me."

"What're you talking about? Do you think denying the charges will close the case even with all the evidence there?"

"Shit! How could they betray me like this?! Bastards!" Sasuke grit his teeth, angry. Suigetsu smiled softly.

"So, tell the police in person. What's so bad about this that you have to run away?"

Before Sasuke could come up with a response, the rooftop door burst open, revealing a panting, angry Naruto.

"Hey! You're that asshole that was taking pictures of me, right!?" Naruto yelled. Suigetsu took a step away from Sasuke, thoroughly confused.

"Erase them now!" Naruto screeched.

"This is a film camera." Sasuke stated blandly.

"T-then, give me the film, bastard!"

"That's not possible. There are other pictures on this film also. I cannot just hand them over to you."

"Then why were you taking my picture in the first place!?" Naruto flinched slightly when Sasuke stood. He placed a firm hand on his shoulder and leaned in close so they were face to face. Naruto began to sweat._ Shit, he just had to be attractive, didn't he? _ Naruto thought. Naruto blanched when he heard the man's next words.

"Oh, were you too preoccupied with that jump? Sorry about that." He said. "Did you really want to die that much? Was I really that distracting? What's there to be afraid of if you already made up your mind to die?"

Naruto's eyes widened comically and he clenched his fists, ready to punch the guy in his stupid, pretty face. Asshole didn't know a thing about him, how dare he try and talk down to him about trying to kill himself. Before things could become more heated between them, the other occupant on the roof stepped in between them.

"Boss, stop this. Just turn yourself in. You can't keep running away. "Naruto was pissed that this silver-haired guy interrupted them, but paused when he registered what he said. _Boss? Did he just call him boss? _He jumped when the mystery picture taker grabbed the other guy by the front of his shirt, snarling.

"Are you expecting me to take all of the blame? Shouldn't they be satisfied that they used me for everything so far? What else do they expect?"

"Used you? Our president would be hurt to hear you say that." Suigetsu said with a smirk, unperturbed that Sasuke was nearly ripping his shirt.

_President? Who the hell are these people? Please Lord tell me they aren't some type of Yakuza!_ _I shouldn't have come here_. Naruto slowly began to edge away from the men; suddenly, his issue with the cameraman didn't seem all that serious.

"I have no more business with you, so don't come looking for me." Sasuke said, brushing past Suigetsu with a bump on the shoulder. Suigetsu outright laughed. Then he smiled.

"We're not the only ones looking for you."

At that exact moment, the door to the roof burst open again, this time revealing some intimating-looking men all dressed in three-piece suits.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" One of them yelled. Sasuke glanced quickly over to Suigetsu. He shrugged, and shot Sasuke a mocking grin, hands casually in his pants pockets.

"You seem to have a lot of complaints." One of them said, flashing his badge. _Holy shit, what the hell is going on?!_ Naruto was beginning to panic. The guys-now identified as police officers, were blocking his only exit. Unless he wanted to, you know, jump off the roof to get away. But at this moment that didn't seem so appealing.

"If that's so, you should have come and spoken to us first." The same officer said with a smile.

"It's only suspected murder right now, but since you have a lot to say, why don't we all take a trip down to the precinct and figure out who the real criminal is, if you think it's so..._unfair_." The men behind him chuckled at that.

_What? __**Murder**__!?I seriously need to get thefuck out of here!__** ASAP!**_Naruto shot a quick glance over to this 'Sasuke' only to realize Sasuke already had his eyes on him. _Why the hell's he looking at me like that? What the-_

Sasuke did the only thing he could think of, he swiftly grabbed the blond boy by his arm and situated himself behind him. He smacked his hand over the boy's mouth before he could yell out,

Naruto struggled valiantly, but to no avail. The crazy bastard had him in a bloody death grip. He looked pleadingly at the police officers for help, silently begging them to do something.

"Whoa, whoa! What are you doing? You aren't doing yourself any favors, Uchiha!" One of the officers yelled. Sasuke smirked triumphantly.

"You incompetent pigs! Useless cops like you don't care who they catch as long as they solve the case. Well, I'm not going down for it just because your asses too lazy to even _investigate!" _Sasuke shouted grip on Naruto tightened, causing him to wince. Naruto grimaced behind his hand, and was even tempted to bite it. _I take back what I said; this guy is __**not **__attractive at all! He's fucking crazy!_

"Hey, now, c-calm down, don't do anything reckless! We can talk this out!" The lead police officer yelled.

"Boss! You can't win like this!" Suigetsu barked. Sasuke glanced at him and smiled.

"Watch me."

_Oh God! This isn't what I wanted! H-help me officers! I'm too young to die! Oh, come on! There's three of you guys, __**DO**__ something! I don't wanna die like this!_

"Get out of the way!" Sasuke yelled, using Naruto as a meat shield.

"Humph! Oomph!" Naruto said incoherently. _Nooooo! Don't let him take me away!_

_Ah. So Uzumaki Naruto, 18 years old, on the day he decided to end his life, was taken hostage by a suspected murderer. Damn..._

Naruto sat in the passenger's seat of a moving car, a car which was going far too fast for him to make a break for it and jump out. His feet were pulled up to his chest and he was fighting back tears. He kept shooting worried glances over to the driver of the vehicle, but he was thoroughly ignored.

_Waa! My legs are cramped! We've been on the road for four hours! I've got to go to the bathroom. We've passed three rest stops already. _

Naruto reached his hand out to turn on the radio, tired of the awkward silence. Because really, what type of conversation could you have with your kidnapper? Hey man, how's the weather? His hand was smacked away right when he reached the nob. He glared at the driver, who glared right back at him. Naruto looked away first.

_Humph. Damn Bastard. _

_Shit, I really do have to go!_

**A/N: **I know it's short, but it's only the first chapter! J


	2. Chapter 2

**Running On Empty **

**Two**

Sasuke was drowning. Not literally. He'd had this dream enough times to not panic and to know exactly what would happen next. That didn't mean that the dream still didn't upset him, just like the actual event did in real life.

He was floating, naked as the day he was born, the water around him murky and dense and black. The surface was so far away, and his was sinking faster by the minute. Light-colored bubbles floated out of his mouth as he desperately tried to keep it shut.

_Can't breathe. I can't breathe._

His eyes settled on an equally naked, equally drowning figure that swam towards him, arms outstretched. Those hands were grabbing at him, reaching. And he raised his own to grasp those hands. Thick black hair floated between the two of them, and those reaching hands bypassed his and settled on his neck. _So heavy_. They pushed at him, dragging him down further into the depths. A black silhouette sat above him, silent as it squeezed him to his end. The black hair turned to hissing snakes, eyes red as blood. Sasuke didn't fight. He closed his eyes as his chest became heavier from the lack of air.

They snapped open again as he felt an odd weight on his shoulders. And-

That blond kid was _kissing_ him.

His eyes were shut, brows furrowed, with a complete look of concentration. He also looked panicky, and obviously didn't realize that Sasuke had woken up. Sasuke gently pulled away.

"You can stop now." He said. The blond kid didn't budge, and Sasuke noticed the position they were in. He was currently being straddled; their bottom halves lined up perfectly while the kid's hands rested on either side of his head. He smirked inwardly.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes were still wide an unsure.

"Yeah, you can get up now." The kid blushed briefly, but then it was erased by a look of confusion and anger.

"Holy hell, dude! You scared the shit out of me! Who the hell stops breathing all of a sudden!?"

"You don't need to know." Sasuke said frostily, a little pissed at himself. _Damn, I fell asleep. I'm completely off guard. _The kid didn't even seem fazed by his tone, or maybe didn't even notice it.

"You looked like you were having a nightmare. Do you get them often?"

"I said you don't need to know!" Naruto raised his arms in front of him, waving them slightly to show that he was going to back off. _Who shit in his coffee?_ He thought angrily. Sasuke sat up, running his fingers through his messy hair. _This kid is too laid back for a hostage_. Speaking of which-

"Why didn't you run? That was a great chance for you to escape." He asked, genuinely curious. The kid grinned like a fox, and Sasuke decided right then and there that he hated it.

Naruto leaned backwards and placed his hands behind him. A thoughtful look crossed his face, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say? I was lazy. Besides, after being crunched up in that car for _seven_ hours, I figured that since I failed to kill myself, it'd probably be easier to have someone else do it."

Sasuke_ really_ didn't like the way he said that, with not one ounce of fear or regret. The hell was up with this kid? Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he felt himself tense.

"You think I'd kill you?" He asked, a bit of an edge in his voice that was noticed by both of them. Naruto didn't comment on it. Instead he laughed. A bell-like chuckle that was pleasing to Sasuke's ears.

"Yeah, man. You tried to just a little while ago. You suddenly have memory loss? Anyway, I have a request. Pretty please could you make it as painless as possible? I don't want to, like, gurgle on my own blood or some shit like that. Just BOOM, dead. Okay?" Naruto smiled at him, and then laughed again when he was met with a blank stare.

Sasuke stood, incredulous. _Is he an idiot?_ He thought. _Or maybe he's just insane._ Sasuke shook his head, and fished a cigarette out of his pocket. The kid's laughter died down, and he watched as Sasuke lit his cigarette and took a drag.

"Heeeeey, dude~ shouldn't you be thanking me? I totally just saved your life. It took a lot of courage, ya know. I haven't even had my first kiss yet~" Naruto pursed his lips out and batted his eyelashes teasingly. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and refused to think that the stupid face the kid was making was adorable. _Idiot._

"Giving someone mouth-to-mouth resuscitation isn't the same as a kiss, dumbass. Not to mention you sucked at it. I thought I was going to die by the way you were trying to get air _out _of my lungs." Naruto blushed again.

"Whatever, you bastard. I totally saved your ass!"

Sasuke ignored him, opting instead to go take a shower. The little apartment they were in wasn't much, just a one bedroom, one bath match box, but it would do. He was on the run, he couldn't afford to jump around from motel to motel without using his credit card, and he was pretty sure the police set up tents around the banks waiting for a hit. Besides, this had been one of his safe houses for years, and no one around him knew about it.

He walked into the bathroom pouting and shut the door; he was glad there was no one else here but him and the kid. He didn't want anyone to know that the great Sasuke Uchiha could make such a face. He was totally embarrassed by the way things went own moments before.

"Ugh, dammit. This is why I shouldn't sleep when I'm stressed out. This is why I was trying so hard _not_ to sleep." He mumbled to himself. He ran a hand though his greasy hair, grimacing when his hand came back sticky. He went over to the mirror and frowned at what he saw. He really needed to take better care of himself. His hair was a shaggy, oily mess, hanging down past his shoulders in odd little ringlets. He'd let his stubble grow out a while ago, and now he had the appearance of a perverted old man. He fished a knife out of the medicine cabinet, one he kept there for emergencies. _This is definitely an emergency_. He reasoned with himself. He flipped the knife open quickly, and began cutting his hair off into a style he used to wear as a teenager, leaving his bangs long and allowing the back to spike upward. He was careful to shave his face. It would be just what he needed to slit his own throat and bleed out while his hostage was outside none the wiser. While he shaved, his thoughts turned back to the kid. Was he really that set on dying that he would sit there and allow Sasuke to kill him? He couldn't imagine anything so bad happening in the kid's relatively short life that would push him that far. Then again, Sasuke wasn't really one to talk.

He left the bathroom, reminding himself to sweep up in there later. He walked back to the living room to see the kid lounging on the floor like it was _his_ house, one leg raised as his head was cradled his arm. His other arm had the remote in it, while his mouth was occupied by one of _Sasuke's_ cigarettes. He was absently flipping through the channels, stopping on some low-budget porn. He smirked.

_"OH! Oh yes! Yeees!" _ Some obviously faking woman's voice flowed from the TV.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto said, leaning in to get a better look. Sasuke looked to the ceiling, shaking his head. He strutted over to the TV and shut it off.

"Hey! What the hell? I was watching that!" Sasuke snatched the cigarette from his mouth.

"DUDE! Seriously! I-"

"Well aren't you quite comfortable?" Sasuke asked, taking a drag from the cig, ignoring the little voice in his head that whispered where it had just been. It tasted like ramen, and it sent a pleasant shiver through Sasuke's body. When had the kid eaten? Since when was there ramen in the house? Odd.

The kid looked up at him and sputtered, his eyes wide.

"W-who the hell are you?" Sasuke chuckled. He exhaled, smoke flowing out of his mouth.

"Who am I? I'm the person who kidnapped you, remember? What. Did you suddenly have memory loss?" Sasuke said, using Naruto's earlier words against him.

"Whoa, I thought you were a totally differently person!" _Dammit, he's even hotter now._

"That's good. There'll be pictures of us circulating around the country so we'll need to look different." Naruto nodded.

"You look at least ten years younger." He said.

"I _am_ young." Sasuke said with a smirk. He went over to a dresser and grabbed a few clothes. He threw then at Naruto.

"Here, take that stupid uniform off and put these on." Naruto pouted, but complied. That is, until he had the clothes on and saw how positively _ugly _they were.

"The fuck? Where'd you even get this? This is probably the worst shirt I've ever seen in my life!"

It was a long-sleeved, mustard yellow shirt with frills down the front, adorned with equally yellow and red flowers and doodles. The pants were a boring grey, and slightly too big. There was absolutely no way-

"Whatever. Let's go."

"GO? Hell no! I will **not** step out of the house like this!" _Especially when you get to wear that shirt that looks like you painted in on. _ Naruto was certainly not looking at the way the guy's muscles were clearly visible though his white shirt. No sir, he was not.

"Good lord, _shut up_. It's Prada." Sasuke had to admit, it was pretty ugly, but he wouldn't tell him that. He bit his lip to keep from smiling.

"Like I care!" Naruto raised his covered sleeve and sniffed at it. "Did you wear this? It stinks!"

"You're too damn picky for a guy. Just wear it! We need to leave soon!" Sasuke covered his eyes with his hand. This kid was such a pain.

"I'm not going!"

"I swear to god if you don't bring your ass right now I'm going to strangle you!"

"Fine, kill me! I'm gonna die anyway! Just kill me now and leave by yourself, but don't you dare bury me in this!"

"Ugh, you brat. Come on," He grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him down the hallway, ignoring his curses and struggling.

They ended up at a clothing store, buying 'stylish' clothes that Sasuke felt he paid way too much for. It was worth it, cause the kid shut up finally and did look quite good in his orange hoodie and dark wash jeans.

"Happy now?" Sasuke asked. He was prepared to punch him if his answer was anything other than yes.

"Yep!" Naruto said, He gave Sasuke a blinding smile. Sasuke shook his head; the kid was far too easy to please.

As they kept walked away from the store, they came upon a beach. Naruto couldn't help it; he hadn't been to the beach in _years. _He couldn't pass the opportunity up, disregarding that he was with his kidnapper and on the run from the police. He ran past Sasuke before he could even utter a word.

"Yay, the ocean! Woo!"

Sasuke hadn't really planned on stopping him. He'd seen the beach the same time Naruto had.

_After I have that dream, I always need to see the water. Only then, I become completely assured._

Naruto rolled up his jeans and ran into the water, scaring a group of nearby seagulls. His face was one of pure joy, and Sasuke couldn't help but smile. He enjoyed watching the kid be free and happy. A sudden sense of guilt overtook him. He couldn't let the kid be dragged into this, into his own selfish, fucked up world. As Naruto waded, Sasuke lifted his camera from his bag and snapped pictures quietly.

After Naruto had his fun, and his feet were sufficiently wet, they ended up at a ramen shop.

"Waa! It looks so good! I thought I was going to starve!" Naruto said as he pulled his chopsticks apart.

"You ate two hours ago." Sasuke said dryly, wincing as he watched his slurp noodles.

"HEY! I can never have enough ramen! It's my favorite food!"

"You'll get fat."

"I'm a growing boy. I need my fiber."

"That makes no sense."

Naruto laughed, a disturbing sight when his mouth was still full, but it was contagious. Sasuke let out the tiniest of chuckles. Naruto gasped.

"Ermygawd, you smiled_ and_ laughed? I wasn't sure it was possible. I thought your face could only have one expression at a time!"

"Shut up, idiot." Sasuke said, but it didn't have any malice behind it. It was true, this short time with Naruto made him smile and laugh more that he had in years. Or ever. Despite the circumstances, Naruto was a little ball of sunshine. What could make a boy like this want to die so badly?

"Hey, old man! Bring me another bowl!"

* * *

The sun had already gone down by the time they reached the train station. It was crowded, as usual, and Naruto had to jog to keep on with Sasuke's long strides.

"Wait here." He said, and approached the ticket booth. Naruto watched him walk away. His kidnapper had been oddly quiet after they left the ramen shop, seemingly lost in thought. He walked ahead of Naruto and didn't answer any of his questions. Naruto had pouted and left him alone. Sasuke returned in a matter of minutes, holding a train ticket.

"So, we're leaving the car here? Why only one ticket?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke looked at him silently, and then looked away.

"I want you to go back. Go back and eat all the ramen you want and live long."

"Wait, what? Hold on-"

"No, kid. You're not fighting me on this. Take it. The next train will be here in 15 minutes."

Sasuke shoved the ticket into his hands, turned on his heels, and strode away. Naruto looked after him, completely dumbfounded on what just happened.

"Did he just un-kidnap me?"

_So, Sasuke Uchiha, 25 years old, a suspected murder and kidnapper on the run, decided to let a bothersome hostage go._


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke had to admit, he felt much better and a lot less guilty. He was glad that he sent the kid home. He was glad he would be safe. His walk back to the apartment was quiet and uneventful. Sasuke kept feeling like he should have a least seen the kid off, make sure he actually got on the train home. Oh well, couldn't change it now. He just hoped the kid wouldn't try and jump in front of the train instead.

When he arrived back, he changed and went straight to bed. He slept like a rock; still and dreamless.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, he didn't really know what he should do. He could easily stay here, but that meant he wouldn't be any closer to finding out who framed him. It was boring by himself. At least when the kid was here he had someone to talk to, even if they never agreed on anything. Now he was just alone.

Sasuke sighed and stretched. He sniffed himself, and decided he would go and take a shower. Then he would plan out his next moves. He dressed slowly, and grabbed the car keys off of the side table. It was a bright, sunny day outside. Not a cloud in the sky. The he pressed the unlock button on his car key, and hopped inside.

He started when the passenger's side door was flung open. Sasuke quickly went to lock the door, but it was too late; the kid had already slid inside. He looked pissed.

"What the hell's your problem, man? You can't just leave me and expect for me to just _go_! Had to walk all the way back by myself and sleep outside 'cause you went and locked the door! You're such an asshole!"

Sasuke stared at him. Really stared. He was praying that this was a dream, that he would open his eyes and still be in the apartment snug in his bed. There was absolutely no way this kid wanted the stay kidnapped. If he stayed willingly was it really considered kidnapping? Sasuke didn't know, nor did he care, he just wanted the little fuck to-

"Get out!" Naruto grinned. He actually had waited all night for him, so hell if he was going to leave now.

"Hmmm, how about a no?" Sasuke felt a tick above his eyebrow. He had to keep himself from punching the kid dead in the mouth. What the hell is wrong with him?

"Go home."

"I'm not going home." Sasuke sighed; this wasn't getting him anywhere.

"Look, kid, don't you know who I am? I'm on the run from the police. I'm a suspected murderer. You don't want to be near me if this all goes south." The kid's brows furrowed. He looked thoughtful.

"Did you really kill someone?" He asked.

"It doesn't really matter if I did or didn't, you need to-"

"I'm not going home." He said in a tone that left no room for argument. "I don't care if you kill me and leave me in a roadside ditch. I'd rather die than go back home." Sasuke blinked. _Umm…_

"If you don't want to go home, find somewhere else to go! Stay with a friend or something!"

"I don't have any." It was said so low, that Sasuke had to strain to hear him. He finally looked over at the kid, really looked. His orange hood was pulled up, blond hair wild and nearly covering his eyes, but Sasuke could see them. They had such a dark look in them that he shivered. He'd seen those eyes before, but only in a mirror.

"There's nowhere for me to go. Besides, I don't have any money." Sasuke felt himself start to sweat. He was wavering. _Ugh, fuck. Don't look at me like that._

"I-I'm not in a situation where I can just take someone around." The fox grin returned, and Sasuke was relieved that the haunted look was gone from his face.

"I'm a hostage. A hostage that won't run away. It'd be kind of hard to find someone like me, I think…"

No. He wasn't going to be worn down. He didn't want to put anyone else in harm's way because of him. The kid had to go.

Naruto's eyes widened when Sasuke pulled a knife on him, aiming it at his neck. He didn't flinch away.

"Get out." He said in a dangerous tone. Naruto wasn't sure if he'd actually hurt him, but he really didn't care.

"No."

They stared at each other, both challenging the other. Naruto had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. He thought the guy looked cute with the way he was glaring. He didn't really mind if he was killed. At least that face would be the last thing he saw.

"I said _get out_." The knife pressed harder, biting into his skin. He held perfectly still.

"**_No._**"

Sasuke pushed harder, watching as a small stream of blood pooled around the sharp edge and trickled down tan skin. He raised his eyes to meet blue ones. The kid smiled, challenge still in his eyes. They both said nothing. After a few moments of tense silence, Sasuke sighed; he pulled the knife away and threw it in the back seat. He missed Naruto's look of triumph. Sasuke starting the car and drove away.

The drive was sufficiently awkward. Sasuke couldn't help but look over constantly at the boy's neck, which was being dabbed with napkins from the glove compartment. The boy would wipe it every couple of seconds, look at the soiled napkin, then toss it out of the window, only to pick up another one and start again. Sasuke hadn't though he'd cut that deep. He felt an uncomfortable twisting in his gut seeing how much blood there was. He forced himself to look back at the road.

At a red light, he reached in his bag to get a cigarette, suddenly feeling like he needed one. Before he could pull out his own, he saw a lighter appear in his line of vision. He glanced over at the kid who gave him an easy smile. He stared for a few more seconds before lighting it. The kid's smile stretched into a full-blown grin and he lit his own. They smoked in silence.

After a few miles, he was finding it harder and harder to ignore the little wound. It had stopped bleeding, but he could still see the redness out of the corner of his eye. The kid wasn't paying attention to him, opting instead to lean his chair back, kick his shoes off, and put his little socked feet on the dash. Only then did he really look his age; so young and dumb and reckless. Sasuke wished he could be as carefree as him.

At a rest stop, he pulled over and shut the car off. The kid looked over at him, confused.

"Hmm? Why'd we stop here?" Sasuke said nothing; he just pulled off his seatbelt and reached into his bag. After he grasped what he was looking for, he reached over and pulled back Naruto's hoodie.

"What are you doing?" A note of panic seeped into his voice. Sasuke ignored it.

"Stay still." He pulled the Band-Aid apart and placed it carefully over his neck.

"Did it hurt?" He asked softly. The kid placed a hand over his neck when he was finished, and smiled.

"Nah. I'm hungry." Sasuke snorted.

"You're always hungry."

"Nuh-uh! I haven't eaten since last night! Feed me!"

Sasuke laughed as he started the car again.

* * *

"So how'd you become a murder suspect?" Naruto asked casually. After a full day of travelling, they were in a new city. Naruto decided it was definitely time to get something to eat, and Sasuke couldn't agree more. They stopped by a local ramen shop to grab a quick bite, and Naruto suggested they go to the school across the street that had an attached basketball court to shoot some hoops. Sasuke couldn't get over how normal this all seemed, like two friends just spending the day together. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"You really didn't kill anyone, did you? You're being falsely accused, right? Was it that white-haired guy I saw you with? Did he set you up?" Naruto asked between bites.

"I think so." Sasuke replied, "I just don't have enough evidence yet. But I'm sure that he did, and there were probably others involved as well."

"Mister, were you in a gang?"

"Mister? How old are you, five?"

"Shut up, asshole. You never told me your name, so what else am I supposed to call you?"

"You seemed just fine with 'dude' before."

"Fine, _dude_, why did you get set up?" Sasuke looked down at his food, taking a minute before answering.

"I said I wanted out, that I couldn't take it anymore."

"What kind of work did you do?"

"I…I took money, got rid of unsolved liabilities. A…enforcer, if you will. Stuff like that."

"The last house I went to, they were dead. The whole family was dead. At that time, I remembered my father even though I wanted to forget about him. My father who was forced into bankruptcy and threw himself into the closest river with my brother and me to escape his debts. In the pitch black water, I was the only one that managed to survive. I was taken in by a man named Orochimaru. He was in charge of my father's debt, which was now mine. I worked 10 years to pay it off. Then I realized I had become exactly like the people that caused by father to kill himself. So I couldn't continue."

"Whoa. Damn, dude." Sasuke chuckled.

"Yeah, damn."

"They wouldn't just let you walk away, huh?"

"I tried to hide and live quietly, then suddenly the police show up and want me for murder. I don't even know who I'm supposed to have killed."

"That's crazy. You must be pissed."

"No shit." Naruto didn't even take offense; he just gave him a look of sympathy.

"What are you going to do?"

"Try and get rid of the charges."

"After that?" Sasuke shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Was there something you wanted to do with your life? Are you good at anything?"

Sasuke turned away, refusing to look at him. He didn't want to admit that he never thought that far. He had believed for a long time that he was forever going to be stuck in a life of crime. He was so young when the snatched him up. He never got the chance to dream.

"I don't know." He said after a while." I don't know I want to do, or can do. After my father died, all I did was follow orders and do as I was told. I've been living a shitty life."

"Hey, wanna die together?" Sasuke frowned and looked at him.

"If you want to die, die alone." Naruto looked at him as if he'd grown two heads.

"You still want to live?"

"I'm going to live as well as I can." Naruto rolled his eyes and waved a hand in his direction.

"You do you, man."

"Shut up."

"I was being supportive!"

"You were being an annoying ass."

"Whatever you say, dude. I'm gonna go shoot some hoops, wanna play?"

"No."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him, and jogged over to play basketball with some other teenagers, leaving Sasuke to his thoughts. It felt weird to share his history with someone he'd only known for three days, but it also felt refreshing. It was nice to be able to share his guilt and frustrations with someone who was willing to listen. He was confident that the kid wouldn't judge him; He seemed to have some serious issues of his own. Sasuke took his time to finish eating and watched Naruto play. He was pretty good at basketball, he seemed like a natural.

_He plays well, eats like crazy, and still says he wants to die?_

Sasuke just didn't understand.

* * *

Naruto was in his element. He hadn't played in a while, but was still holding his own. Even though it was four against one. He missed his, this feeling of normalcy. Everything had just been so hard lately and he was glad he was having fun. He made a nice three pointer, and looked over to the bench he'd been sitting on with "dude" to make sure he'd seen it. The bench was empty.

_Huh? Did he leave? _He thought to himself. He turned this way and that to see if he could spot him. He saw him over by the curb, camera out.

_Whew, thought he tried to leave me again. What's he taking pictures of this time?_

_"_Hey Bro, we're about to start round two!" One of the random teenagers said.

"I'm totally kicking you guys asses this time!" Naruto shouted with a laugh.

* * *

After finishing his mini photo shoot, Sasuke was bored. He got tired of waiting for Naruto to finish up his game. He went back to the car and accidently fell asleep. He was woken up by an annoying tapping on the window.

"Hey, dude, buy us some ice-cream!" Ah, it was the random kids from before, but why-?

"Why the hell would I do that?" Sasuke said, grumpy from is interrupted nap.

"Bro said you would if we beat him at basketball." The random kid jutted a finger in the direction of _his_ kid, who was looking anywhere but at him. Sasuke stared at him, speechless. _That little bastard._ He ended up buying it for them anyway.

"Thanks, dude!"

"We can have a rematch anytime!"

Naruto waved them away, holding a blue Popsicle of his own. Sasuke was silently fuming beside him. He tried not to smile when Sasuke glared at him, but was failing miserably.

"Do I look like a wallet to you?" He said stiffly. Naruto laughed and shook his head. He pushed the Popsicle in Sasuke's face.

"Take a bite." He said, waving it enticingly.

"No."

"Just one bite."

"Go fuck yourself."

"Ohhh, harsh. C'mon!"

"No!"

Naruto huffed and shoved the Popsicle as far as it could go into Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke's eyes were wide and he almost choked on it. He glared harder at Naruto who continued to smile at him sweetly. Sasuke bit down and yanked a chunk off.

"It's good, isn't it? Told you!"

_Why does he keep smiling at me like that? It's so weird for him to always be so happy._

"Hey…why are you taking pictures all the time?" Naruto said after a while. They began walking back to the car. Sasuke turned to look at him. "Do you want to be a photographer?"

"Photographer?"

"You seem to like taking pictures a lot, so I figured..."

"Not really. It's more of a habit than anything. I want to leave a record of things that pass me by. So I take pictures habitually."

"It must cost a lot for film. Why not buy a digital camera?"

"Don't want to. You can check it right away and delete in a moment if you don't like it. Doesn't that seem too fickle?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at his odd wording. _This guy's something else._

"Let me see your un-fickle pictures, then. I'm curious."

"No."

"No?"

"Although I've taken a many pictures, I've never gotten any of them developed."

"Seriously?"

"It'd be too hard to take care of. I don't have time to let myself get lost in sentimental moments."

"But don't you want to know what they look like?"

"Later, when all this is over, I'll look at them."

"You still have all the films, then?"

"Yeah."

"They might be old and rotten by then. Or all of the film development places will all go out of business. What will you do then?"

"Shut up. I don't like you." Sasuke said, slightly miffed. Naruto threw his head back and laughed.

"Yeees, you do." He cooed. "Admit it, you think I'm sexy. I set fires in your pants." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Idiot."


	4. Chapter 4

**Running on Empty **

**Four**

**Warning: Sexual Situations in this Chapter**

The steady patter of rain against the window gently pulled Sasuke from his sleep. The motel room was dark, save for the occasional flash of lightning. He went to stretch, and paused when he felt an odd weight against his back and side. He looked down to find a skinny tan arm draped over him, the fingers gripping the front of his shirt. Somewhere in the night, the kid had snuggled him with his head completely burrowed in Sasuke's shoulder blades. Sasuke only felt this was odd because, as he recalled, this room had _two_ beds, which were both occupied separately when they went to sleep.

Another crash of thunder sounded overhead, and Sasuke felt the grip on his shirt tighten. He could have sworn that he heard a muffled sob from behind him, but wrote it off as his imagination. There was no way this big ass kid was scared of a little-

_Boom!_

He felt him flinch.

"Hey." He said softly, but he was ignored. Instead, the kid twisted over, hiding his face in his hands, obviously awake. He shivered.

Sasuke sighed, stood, and pulled the blanket over the kid's chilled body._ At this age and still scared of a little thunder and lightning? Hn. Whatever._

He walked over to the window and cracked it open slightly. He grabbed a cigarette out of his bag a lit it, puffing on it occasionally. _It's really pouring. It doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon._ Sasuke had no real intention of traveling in this weather; he'd never been too good around large amounts of water anyways.

His eyes drifted back over to the bed, to the kid who was still clutching the covers and cringing away at every crash of lightning. The kid occasionally wiped his eyes, attempting to hide the salty tear tracks. It didn't matter, Sasuke could hear the raspy intakes of breath and see the tremors the rack his body. He smirked.

"Crying, really?" He said with a laugh, expecting to be ignored again.

"Fuck you." Maybe not.

Sasuke laughed but said nothing. He leaned heavily on the windowsill and lit a cigarette, watching the kid silently.

Naruto was starting to get pissed off. He really wanted to be left alone and not be questioned. So what if he cried a little when it was storming outside? A lot of people didn't like thunderstorms, and he knew a lot of people that didn't just _grow out_ of what they didn't like.

They sat in silence for moment, until the overhead light was turned on by Sasuke. Naruto disregarded it, turning his head to the plain beige wall so his eyes wouldn't be bothered. He heard Sasuke shuffling around behind him, but decided to keep ignoring him. He really wished the asshole would just go to sleep and leave him alone.

It was not to be so, because Naruto saw him coming around to the side of the bed and squat in front of him camera posed and-

Now this bastard was taking pictures of him while he was _crying_?!

Naruto froze, trying to ignore the fact that the son-of-a-bitch caught him while he was in a venerable state _again_, while he kept merrily clicking away. Anger seized him then and he hopped up so quickly his feet almost tangled in the sheets. His rubbed at his eyes furiously, scrubbing the _photo material_ off of his face.

"Shit, really?" Naruto growled, quickly putting his feet into his shoes and shrugging into his jacket. Like hell he was going to stay here and be treated like a piece of fucking art when he was having an actual problem!

Sasuke regarded him coolly. He fully expected the kid to react this way.

"Where are you going? It's raining. "

"No shit, I can see that. I'm going **_out."_**

"I can see that. But _where_ out?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you!"

Naruto grumbled on his way down the stairs to the motel. He paused before he stepped outside, realizing that it was a stupid idea and he would get soaked without an umbrella, but he refused to go back to the room at the moment. The guy had to realize that taking his picture without asking was _not okay_, and it would probably be easier to just tell him that, but Naruto liked his way better. Besides, he was getting a little hungry and wanted to munch on some Cheetos before him went to sleep. This was the perfect opportunity.

After Naruto walked a little ways, he came upon an old woman under an awning holding a large umbrella. He walked over to her, putting on his brightest smile.

"Hey, granny, may I borrow your umbrella?" She smiled at him in that special old person way that made him feel all warm and fuzzy.

"Oh, you poor boy! You got all soaked! Here, these ancient bones can't hold up this heavy, old thing anymore. I've been meaning to get a new one. If you promise to walk me just a ways over to my house I'll gladly give it to you. What do you say?"

"Will do ma'am." He walked her as promised, and waved her off as she climbed the stairs to an old brownstone.

"Now don't you go get washed away now~!" She called back, and Naruto laughed.

The rest of his walk to a nearby convenience store was uneventful. He didn't meet anymore nice old ladies and really didn't even see any people on the street. It was kind of creepy, actually.

* * *

Sasuke laid back on the bed in silence. The room was dark again and his camera had long since been put away. His eyes kept drifting back to the door.

_It's been a little while. He'll be okay, right?_

* * *

Naruto left the store, Cheetos in hand, and he couldn't stop thinking about how much of a dick the guy was being. He thought they had finally gotten somewhere. _Seriously, who takes pictures of someone when their crying? That just weird, weird I tell you! That was so humiliating!_

In his inner ramblings, he almost passed by a seemingly normal grey wall with a single, flimsy paper stuck to it. For some odd reason it caught his interest, even in the corner of his eye. He backtracked, swiveling the old, yellow umbrella around and pushed his face up to the wall. _Hmm, what's this?_

His head jerked back when he realized what he was looking at.

He was staring at a wanted poster, a wanted poster with _his_ face on it.

A smiling picture of himself stared back at him, cheery and carefree. It was taken a couple of months ago, before things started to go downhill. He could tell it was from his mother's personally collection because no recent picture would ever catch him with such a happy look on his face. His picture was opposite of his sort of kidnapper. And damn, did he look rough. These photos were obviously from before he shaved and stopped looking homeless.

"Pfft, what's this? These pictures are just awful! Hmm-Kidnapper, murder suspect….. possible rapist? Ha, they pulled _that _one out of their ass. He looks like a psychopath." He kept scanning the flyer, ignoring the parts about 'possible locations' and if he was dangerous or not. Obviously they had no idea where possibly he was if they needed flyers. Dumbasses.

"Uchiha Sasuke? _Sasuke_, oh-ho so that's his name! Totally fits! Ha, good looking? Says who?"

Naruto's eyes twinkled when his eyes fell on the best little tidbit.

"Ten thousand dollar reward? He is so going down!" He laughed, only to stop short when he realized some people were passing by and were looking at him oddly.

"So _now_ they want to come, when I'm laughing at a wall." He mumbled to himself.

* * *

Sasuke had fallen asleep by the time Naruto returned, and Naruto grinned down at his still figure.

"Hey Sasuke!" He yelled, and chuckled when Sasuke sprung up and pulled a knife from under the pillow simultaneously, eyes wide and still bleary with sleep.

"Oh, calm down, it's just little old me." Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he didn't put down the knife.

"Why do you know my name?" Naruto spun around in a little circle, suddenly feeling cheery. He shrugged off his wet jacket and threw it someone on the floor. Sasuke made a disgruntled sound behind him, but said nothing.

"Guess how much your reward is~?" He sang.

"It's posted?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. He paused, eyes narrowing in thought, and then began to circle Sasuke like some sort of predator with his hand on his chin. Sasuke stared at him.

"Good looking, huh? Well, now that I really look at you, I _guess_ it's true. Acknowledged!"

"The hell you going on about, idiot?" Sasuke pushed past him and began throwing items back into their bags. They were going to have to move again. Naruto sighed. No fun at all. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched Sasuke pack. He shuffled back and forth before opening his mouth to speak again.

"It's Naruto."

"What?" Sasuke said, turning to look at him. Naruto smirked.

"My name. Remember it, and call it when you need me." Sasuke sighed, a worn sort of sigh that Naruto didn't like.

"Just how long do you plan on following me around?" He said. Naruto frowned and rolled his eyes. _Ugh, don't start this again._

"Until I die?" He said with a shrug. Sasuke didn't see; he had turned back around to finish his task.

"Then when do you plan on dying?"

"When you're free from your charges." Naruto said easily. "Wouldn't it be bad if I died while I was with you?"

"Excuses."

"_Excuses? _Excuse me?" Sasuke turned to face him with a hard look in his eyes that Naruto _really _didn't like.

"You couldn't jump just because I was looking at you. Is dying some sort of joke to you? Something cool? Something to threaten with? Your empty words about suicide piss me off. You don't even have the balls to do it. Do you even know how someone looks when they are truly ready to die? You-"

"And you just know me so fucking well, don't you Sasuke?" Naruto snapped, effectively cutting him off. Sasuke tried to ignore Naruto's shaking and balled fists, but it was bothering him. He looked away.

"You think, just because I can still laugh and joke around, that I'm an idiot? Do you know what thoughts I have _every single damn day _and how much it takes to even _breathe? _Do you know how I fought with myself just to get on that railing? Do you know why I even cried earlier? _Fuck_, I want to cry every day but I'm a guy and it's embarrassing! E-every day is so much to bear and I….dammit, fuck you! You don't know shit!" Naruto sat down on the bed, hiding his face in his hands. His shoulders shook silently. Sasuke fought with himself, until he went over and grasped Naruto's shoulders. He flinched away. Sasuke was having none of that. He pulled the blond to his chest.

"Shit, sorry, I…I didn't mean to make you cry, I just-ugh." _I didn't want you to joke about yourself so easily. Your worth more than that. _He thought silently. He gently placed his hand on Naruto's chin, raising his face to eye level, and kissed away the tears. He wasn't surprised when Naruto jerked his head after a few moments so that their lips came together. He coolly watched as Naruto's eyes fluttered shut, and he leaned in more. _This is dangerous_. _He's a kid_. Sasuke thought as his hands slipped down to Naruto's waist. Their mouths slipped open and their tongues waged war on each other_. Hn. Like I really give a fuck._ He pushed at Naruto's shoulders gently, hand slipping down to the waistband of the boy's pants. Naruto didn't stop him; instead, he grabbed a handful of Sasuke's sweatpants and _pulled_, all the while never breaking the contact of their mouths.

Soon they were both bottomless, and the kisses turned sloppy and passionate. Naruto broke away, and Sasuke continued to paint kisses down his neck.

"Hey Sasuke-"

"No." He said firmly, pausing from his actions. Naruto's brows furrowed and he quickly remedied his words.

"We don't have the option to fall for each other, understand? You _can't_ fall for me, and I can't fall for you. I'm not that much of a bastard that I'm going to sex you up with the chance that I could be carted off to jail at any moment and you be left high and dry. And I wouldn't feel right taking your virginity without so much as a date first." He finished with a smirk, but his eyes were serious. He searched blue ones in the hopes that he understood. After a few tense moments, Naruto smiled.

"Alright asshole, I get it. But we're half naked so your damn well gonna _touch_ me. And nobody said I was a virgin."

"Nobody had to, idiot."

Naruto was going to respond, but Sasuke didn't give him the chance. He took the moment to grind their lower halves together, eliciting an absolutely delicious moan form Naruto that had him regretting his decision not to fuck him.

Their movements were slow at first, with Sasuke's hands propping himself up just above the body beneath him and Naruto just stared down at where their lower halves met as they moved and Sasuke couldn't get over how fucking _hot_ that was, his eyes lidded and his bottom lip caught between his teeth, his groans caught behind that barrier. Sasuke ground _harder_, determined to get Naruto make more noise. He was rewarded wonderfully. At a particularly hard push, Naruto grunted and pushed his head back into the pillow, his hands coming up and grasping Sasuke's backside, palming it and smashing them together more. Sasuke growled and latched on to his neck, biting and sucking red and purple bruises. The rest was a blur, just furiously moving sheets and creaking springs until Naruto came first, quietly, much to Sasuke's surprised and secret triumph. He hadn't thought Naruto could do anything quietly.

Sasuke followed soon after, and they were a sticky, uncomfortable mess. Sasuke still didn't care. He simply rolled off Naruto and lay on his back, soundlessly grabbing Naruto's fingers with his own and intertwined them. They lay in the aftermath silently. At least, for a few moments, until Naruto started chuckling. Sasuke felt a tick form on his eyebrow.

"What the hell is wrong with you now?" Naruto laughed harder, and turned on his side to flick at Sasuke's nose.

"I _knew_ I set fires in your pants."


	5. Chapter 5

**Running on Empty**

**Chapter Five**

Sasuke stood at the ATM, collar up and a skullcap covering his head. It was orange, thanks to Naruto, and Sasuke hated it. Too bad he was paranoid enough to not come outside without some kind of disguise, so he had no choice.

For Sasuke, it was the third month living on the run, 50 days since living with Naruto, and 35 days since they began their not-so-kind of-'relationship'.

He sighed, pulling out the cash from the dispenser and pocketed it quickly. This account was under one of his many aliases, so he didn't have to worry about the police freezing this one just yet. He was beginning to worry though, thinking about things that had no business crossing his mind. Running cost twice as much with someone else. How long would they be able to last? Three more months? Two? Sasuke sighed. This fucking _sucked_. Why does everything require money?

"Hey kid! Kid!" Sasuke turned when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He raised an eyebrow. _Kid? I'm twenty-five! _The middle-aged man smiled at him, holding up a bundle of keys.

"You dropped these! You should be more careful!" He said with a smile and a wave. Sasuke rolled his eyes. How old was he, twelve. _Don't patronize me, asshole._

_"_Thank you." He said dryly. He dared to look at Naruto beside him, feeling more annoyed when he was smiling.

"Hey, _kid_…" He said, grinning when Sasuke's frown deepened. Sasuke looked skyward and took a deep breath and began to walk away.

"Heeey, _kid_, where ya going? Come baaack!"

"Shut up."

"Don't be mad,_ Sasuke, _I think you look cute dressed like that." Naruto said, and Sasuke fought down a blush. The last thing he wanted Naruto to think when he thought of him was that he was_ cute_. Sexy maybe, but not cute.

"Please, if anyone's cute, it's you. Look how much your hair grew. You look like a girl." He emphasized his point by yanking on blonde locks which now brushed past Naruto's shoulder blades. Naruto batted his hand away, pouting.

"Are we doing this? Are we really going to argue about who's cuter? Are you sure you're not my boyfriend?" Naruto said sardonically. His tone didn't match his face, though, which was red as a tomato. He was obviously pleased that Sasuke thought that way.

"I was just trying to say that this is better. When I first saw you I thought you were some old perv in his 40's, but now it's obvious that you're in your twenties."

"You thought I was 40? Ouch." They both laughed, but were interrupted by someone calling out to them.

"**Excuse me?**" The man said, and Sasuke looked at him like he'd grown a second head. They guy was speaking English, and Sasuke had no idea what he was talking about. Unfortunately, the man was directing his question towards him and all Sasuke could do was stare stupidly.

"**I'm not from here obviously."** The man said with a chuckle, "**And it seems that I am totally lost. Would you and your friend mind showing me around?**"

Naruto seemed to pick up on the fact that Sasuke was completely clueless, so he stepped in between the two of them and took over.

"**Sorry, my friend and I are outlaws; you don't want to be seen with us.**"Naruto said with a smile.

"**Is there a reason why your friend can't speak for himself**?" The random guy asked while looking Sasuke up and down, a curious gleam in his eye. Naruto felt is eyes narrow and he grit his teeth before smiling.

"**He's a shy guy.**"

"**Oh, really? He doesn't look like it. He's cute, are you guys just friends? I would love to get his number.**" Naruto's grin almost slipped, but he caught it. He couldn't catch the frost that crept into his eyes though.

"**I don't see how that's any of your business. But yeah, he's mine.**" _So back off asshole._

The guy put his hands up in mock surrender.

**"I get it, I get it. Thanks anyway**." The guy said as he turned and walked away.

Sasuke was frowning. The whole time Naruto was talking to the man he seemed to be getting more and more upset. He wondered what in earth they could possibly be talking about.

"Naruto? Everything okay?" Naruto jogged up to him and put on a smile that Sasuke saw right through.

"Oh, it's nothing. The guy was just trying to hit on you." He said easily, but his fists clinched briefly and Sasuke saw it. He smirked.

"And that upset you." Naruto refused to look at him.

"Nuh-uh."

"_Yes huh_." Sasuke teased. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him.

"Don't be childish. You didn't cuss the guy out or anything, right?"

"Why don't you go ask him yourself?"

"Nah. It's not that serious. What do I care if you went all mama bear on him? "

"Pfft, mama bear? I did no such thing."

"Yes you did. You defended my virtue. And for that, I thank you."

"Shut up, you dick. At least I can speak English."

"Whatever. It's not that important."

"You should have seen the look on your face when he came up to you. Your eyes got all big and your little brow scrunched up. You looked like a puppy. "

"Fuck you."

"Not until we're married."

"Seriously, every time you open your mouth I want to kill you." Naruto laughed, and Sasuke couldn't help the smile that pushed its way onto his face. He shouldn't feel so warm and tingly whenever Naruto laughed. That had to stop.

"I'll teach you."

"What?"

"I'll teach you English. Good timing too. We were running out of innocent things to do with each other."

"But _I'm_ the pervert."

"Shut up. I'll teach you everything I know."

"Forget it. Not knowing English won't affect my life."

"Don't tell me you don't even know the alphabet?"

"I know the alphabet!"

"I guess we'll have to start at the very beginning, then."

"I won't study."

"Stop being stubborn and give me twenty bucks."

"Twenty bucks? For what?"

"Don't question me! Just give it to me and I'll be right back."

Naruto ran down the street quickly and disappeared into a nearby bookstore. He appeared moments later, holding a book in his hands like a prize. He thrust it In Sasuke's face.

"Oh god."

"Come on Sasuke!"

"This is a kid's book!"

"Well you don't know shit, so bear with me. You only have to study for two hours."

"Two hours? What the hell?"

"Get over it. I had to study for _fourteen _hours a day on average." Sasuke looked at him with a gaze filled with sympathy.

"Really? Now I understand why you wanted to die." Naruto punched him in the arm playfully.

"Asshole. Come on! Let's go and get started!" Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him down the street. Sasuke rolled his eyes and allowed him to be dragged.

"Okay! We'll start with the alphabet. Read it out loud and I'll help you with the pronunciation."

"No."

"Sasssukeeee!"

"Ugh, fine. **A, B…**"_ This is so embarrassing._ _What in the world are we doing right now_?

"See you're surprisingly good at this!"

"Surprisingly?"

"Shut up and keep going!"

"**C, D, E**…"

"Good, good! Now listen, there's some important parts with pronunciation. Look at the shape of my mouth and repeat after me. First, "**L**" and "**R**" are different."

"Naruto…"

"Come on, Sasuke, try~!"

"Hn. Keep going."

"Okay, watch my mouth. _L_, _R_."

Oh yes, Sasuke couldn't help but watch his mouth, drawn to the way his lips moved slowly as he tackled the words. He couldn't help but think what else Naruto's mouth could be doing right-

"You're thinking something dirty aren't you?" Sasuke fought down a blush. _Busted._

"**_L_**_! __**R**__!"_

"Pervert. Press the tip of your tongue behind your teeth and say **L**."

"**L."**

"Good, **R**."

"**R**."

"Perfect! Now try **F** and **P**. Look at my mouth and stop being dirty."

Sasuke had to admit, it wasn't as bad as he thought it be. And Naruto seemed to get a kick out of playing teacher, so he'd let him enjoy it. He couldn't help but thing that all of this was too normal, to…happy, like they didn't have all of these problems and weren't on the run. They were just two friends spending the afternoon together. He didn't know what to make of it.

_How long will he stay with me? How long will we stay like this? If we could stay like this, forever, I think it- I think I might be alright._

* * *

"Naruto, what the hell is that smell?"

They had been working on Sasuke's English skills for a few more hours, and Sasuke doing well even though he was getting tired. Of course, Naruto being Naruto had to go ruin the little atmosphere they had by whipping out some black nail-polish and painting his nails.

"Nail-polish, asshole, and I like to look pretty."

"You're weird."

"Tell me something I don't know." Naruto said with a laugh.

"It's giving me a headache; I'm going to get some air."

"Want me to paint yours too?"

"Not a chance."

"Okay! Don't go too far!"

Sasuke ended up a few blocks down, just walking while flipping through the grammar book. He sat on a small brick wall and fished a cigarette out of his pocket.

_I can't do this. I can't stay with him. I can't keep dreaming the impossible._

His head fell into his hands.


	6. Chapter 6

**Running On Empty**

**Chapter Six**

_It's been a while, I wonder where Sasuke went?_

Naruto stood outside, looking around. Sasuke had been gone for almost two hours, and it was well past sundown.

_Did he leave with the car? Can't use my cellphone, might be tracked. Speaking of which, I wonder my we've had this car so long? Maybe it's stolen. I wouldn't be surprised. Sasuke would look hot in a cat burglar suit. _

Naruto shrugged, looking down the block. He didn't see Sasuke anywhere, so he went back inside and shut the door.

The next morning, Sasuke still hadn't shown up. But Naruto refused to get worried. He was a grown man; he could take care of himself. Naruto just wished he would at least leave a note or something, so that he could plan what to do by himself. He rose slowly, stretching and sniffing his underarms, pulling back sharply when he got a whiff of himself. He desperately needed a shower.

After about twenty minutes of grooming and dressing himself, he looked around for some spare money, hoping he had a little so that he wouldn't have to stay in all day. He jotted down a note saying where he'd be just in case Sasuke came back before him and left.

His first stop was the library. He read a few books before he got bored and moved on. Afterward he got some ramen for a little roadside shop, enjoying the taste of his favorite food that he hadn't had in a while. He reluctantly remembered the first time he and Sasuke went out together after this whole thing started. _After the first time he tried to leave you_. His mind supplied for him, a traitorous little whisper in the back of his brain.

"He didn't leave. He wouldn't do that without saying anything_."_ He whispered to himself. _So why take the car if he only went out for air?_

He knew he was overthinking it. But how well did he really know Sasuke? Sure, Sasuke had divulged his twisted past, but they had only been in each other's company for a little under two months. Sasuke probably had all types of secrets. Or maybe he just got tired of Naruto. Maybe he went to turn himself in. Maybe-

Naruto shook his head. There was no reason to get upset. He looked around; making sure that no one noticed his mini freak out in the middle of the street. As far as he could tell, no one had. He signed and made the slow walk back to the motel.

* * *

He took a nap once he arrived; slightly dejected when he saw Sasuke hadn't come back yet. He only meant to put his head down for a few minutes, but he woke back up to an empty room at 12:35 am. Sasuke had been gone for over a day. Naruto stared at the clock, almost willing it to turn back the time. He closed his eyes.

_Did he really leave? It's fine._

He flung his arms and legs out spread eagle.

_I'm already dead._

_That day, I fell from the rooftop and died._

_This was a dream, a dream I had right before I hit the ground and now it's over._

_Since I'm dead, it's fine._

_No matter what happens to me, it doesn't matter. None of this was real._

_Cause I'm already dead._

His stomach growled.

_I'm hungry._

_If I don't eat anything, I wonder how long it will take me to die?_

He didn't know how long he sat there, gazing up at the ceiling while listening to his heartbeat. When he looked back at the clock, he began to laugh. He was almost glad that he was alone so no one could hear how crazy he sounded. Almost. He laughing sounded more like crying to his own ears, but he ignored it.

"4:44 huh? The clock is giving me a sign."*

He stood and walked over to Sasuke bed. He didn't like how cold it was. He reached under the pillow, pulling out Sasuke emergency blade. He stayed down where he was, feeling too lazy to climb back to his own bed. He put the knife to his wrist, but hesitated. He wasn't sure why. He brought it up to his palm, making a nice, clean cut. He raised it above his head, squinting his eyes when a few warm droplets hit his face.

"Pretty color." He whispered. His hand dropped to his side, staining his white shirt. He paid it no mind.

"It kind of tickles." He said with a giggle. His eyes were heavy.

_I'm so sleepy. Maybe just a little nap._

He closed his eyes.

* * *

Sasuke sat in the car, seat all the way leaned back and his eyes closed. He wasn't very far from the motel, just a few blocks up. He couldn't really bring himself to go back just yet. He didn't think he could handle the look Naruto would give him when he told him to go.

He sat up suddenly, getting a very bad feeling. Naruto was always going on about killing himself right? He never left him alone this long before_. Why did he try to kill himself? Could he be waiting for me? _ _It's none of my business._ _But didn't he say he would die before he went back home?_

He unwillingly thought of his face. Those bright blues eyes. His smile. His heart began to be faster.

_What's wrong with me? I have to stop thinking about him. _

_When did I start to like him so much?_

_Caring about someone only makes more work for me in the end._

He slapped himself and started the car.

_Snap out of it Sasuke._

_Even if we're running together, even if he smiles at him every day, even if he kisses me so sweetly, it doesn't mean we have a future, it doesn't mean we can be more._

_But will he think I abandoned him?_

_What will he do?_

He shut off the engine.

_I'm going crazy._

_Just forget about him, Sasuke._

He turned the key again.

_But while we were together, it was nice. Someone to smile at me, someone to wake up beside, someone to be responsible for, I loved it. I loved-_

His eyes were wide and blank. He felt like the black water was weighing him down again.

_Why now? I'm...drowning?_

He was completely covered now; the dense water was holding him down. He hadn't thought of his past since he was with Naruto. He struggled to understand what that meant.

**_Sasuke._**

He flinched at the arms that reach for him.

**_Sasuke, help me._**

"Itachi I can't. I can't reach you, I never could. I'm so sorry."

He ignored the hot tears running down his face. This had never happened before. In his dreams, Itachi never called out to him, he always grabbed his neck and squeezed. He always blamed him for not being strong enough to pull him up.

**_Sasuke I don't want to die._**

"I don't want to die either."

The hands finally reached him. He grabbed them, ready to finally pull. He paused when he noticed something odd. His eyes widened.

The fingernails were black.

_What-_

Itachi began to float away, but Sasuke barely noticed. His shaking hand covered his mouth.

The water faded away.

_I didn't lose him because I wasn't strong enough, I let go so that I could live, just like now._

He started the car, whipping around and drove as quickly as he could back to the motel.

_Oh God Naruto, please wait for me._

* * *

He took the stairs two at a time, but slowed as he reached the door. He didn't want to seem too eager.

_Will he be mad that I was gone so long? He probably feels betrayed. Dammit, I'm so fucking nervous. Just go in there a pretend like nothing happened. _

He turned the knob.

"Hey Naruto-"

He paused halfway. His mouth opening and closing wordlessly as he noticed how much _red _there was.

His eyes were closed. He looked so peaceful.

"H-hey." His eyes became blurry.

"N-Naruto. Wake up. Hey! Don't play with me. Didn't you say you wouldn't die on me yet?"

He shook him, gathering up his limp body and cradling his head in his hands.

"Naruto, I came back, I came back." He rocked him gently back and forth. He flinched when a blood hand touched his face. Sasuke took a shuddered breath.

"Don't go digging my grave already. I'm not dead yet," Naruto said hoarsely, ending with a small laugh.

Sasuke laid him back down gently, springing up and rummaging around for bandages. He wrapped them carefully a tightly. Muttering "you stupid little fuck" over and over while Naruto laughed at him and watched him carefully. When he was done he just stared at Naruto, stoking his head. They were silent until Naruto frowned at him.

"Don't look at me like that, I hate pity. Stop it. What happened to the guy taking pictures of me trying to jump off of a building? I think this would have been great for your collection."

Sasuke couldn't help but gasp._ Does he really think I would be snapping photos at a time like this?_

"Naruto-"He said disbelievingly.

"Sasuke, you want to know something?" His eyes were on the ceiling but he wasn't really looking at anything.

Sasuke closed his mouth. He'd let Naruto interrupt him just this once.

"When I first met you, I thought you were scary. But as a came to know you more and more, I think that you're just so cool and pitiful that I want to stay by your side."

Sasuke huffed, but let him continue.

"But, I realized while you were gone I was just getting in your way. So I thought I'd just finish off what I'd started before I met you. But I couldn't even sit my wrist. " He smiled then, and Sasuke frowned deeply.

"You're fucking crazy. How can anyone smile like that when their covered in blood?"

"Well why are you crying when I'm the one covered in blood?"

"Is it wrong for me to not want you to die?" Sasuke said, his tone became very hard, but Naruto kept smiling. He sat up and pecked him gently on the lips.

"Sorry." He muttered. "That was a stupid question." They stared into each other's eyes for a long time, until Naruto looked away, bashful.

"Ya know something, Sasuke? It may seem pretty messed up coming from me, but I thought I was a pretty decent guy." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, but kept quiet, not quite sure where this was going.

"I was a good kid, with good grades and personality, and if I had continued what I'd been doing, I could have gone to a top college like my dad, studied abroad if I wanted too, and start working at my dad's hospital. I never knew what "living without" meant. I always thought that if someone was poor it was because they were doing something wrong. Everyone liked me, No-I _thought _everyone liked me."

"So what happened?" Sasuke asked softly. He didn't want to pry, but this was the most he'd ever heard Naruto speak about his problems and he didn't want to pass this up. Naruto was quiet for a few seconds, fists clinched and eyes closed, and for a minute Sasuke thought he'd lost him, but then he began again.

"Have you heard about that incident where the girl died in surgery? They tried to keep the body from being returned to the family with the excused that her organs were to be donated…"

"Yeah, I know about it. They found out later that she died because mistake in anesthesia during an illegal abortion. The paperwork about organ donation was a cover-up for the illegal surgery. It was all over the newspaper, TV, radio…it was pretty crazy for a while." _What does this have to do-?_

"It was pretty much social suicide." Naruto finished. His gaze turned thoughtful.

"So tell me Sasuke, do you think the parents that lost a daughter due to an illegal abortion are doing better, or the son of the doctor who killed the girl is?" _Ummm…okay?_

"I'd…probably have to go with the one who's still alive. Yeah, I'd go with the son."

"Really? You think that living on earth everyday even if its hell to bear is better?" Suddenly, It made since; the questions, the details. Why didn't he notice before? He'd seen him on the news for god sakes!

"Naruto, you're-"

"Yep, that's me." He said with a weak laugh. "The man I respected and looked up to was the same guy who killed little girls in back alleys for a few extra bucks."

"Naruto-"

"You don't have to comfort me, Sasuke, It's the truth. I knew her; she went to school with me. Her name was Sakura. She was really pretty, but she was also a bitch that slept around with a bunch of guys and didn't know the father of the kid she didn't want. You didn't hear any of that shit in the papers, though. That's real fucked up of me, I know, but that's the truth too if were gonna talk about it. You don't know how many times I got smacked and yelled at by her friends telling me to bring her back, to fix my dad's wrongs, like _I_ was the one that killed her. Trust me; I didn't know anything about what my dad did till the rest of you did too."

He paused, taking a shuddered breath before continuing.

"At home I felt suffocated. My dad sold the hospital and tried to throw money at everybody to fix it, but it didn't work. My dad just sat at home like a bum because he couldn't work, while my mom just cried all the time because my dad got found out. Not because a girl was dead, only because he got found out. Can you believe that? I found out that my dad was shady and my mom was covering for him the whole time and that tainted money probably went towards my allowance or bought my mom diamonds or something like that. You can't even grasp how _disgusted_ I was. We were already rich enough, why'd he have to go and pull some shit like that? But school was the worst."

"All my so-called-friends dropped me faster than a ton of bricks and those that stayed didn't really want to be seen with me. The part that got to me the most was my friend Ino. She and Sakura had known each other forever and she was an absolute wreck when she found out. She was one of the only people that stayed by me and said it didn't have anything to do with me, and she still smiled at me and everything, but her eyes were dead. Her best friend in the whole world was gone and I couldn't bring her back. But my dad killed her, and even if she wasn't aware of it, she looked at me differently. I hated it. So I changed schools, but nothing changed, it was national news. My mom hated the countryside, and I hated her. I didn't want to stay home; I didn't want to go to school. I had no friends; the country kids shunned me and whispered behind my back like everyone else. I hated being pitied. After a while I didn't want to be_ anywhere_. I went up to that rooftop countless times. I jumped off a thousand times in my head." He gazed up at Sasuke then, eyes misty and unfocused, and Sasuke gathered him up and held him. Naruto gripped his shirt tightly, bearing his head in his shoulder and soaking the material there, but Sasuke didn't mind. His next words were muffled, but Sasuke heard them anyway.

"I really felt like I had nothing to live for. But then a man with angel wings and a camera saved me that day. Someone that had also died and came back to life."

He pulled his face away from Sasuke's sleeve, only to push their foreheads together so they could look each other in the eyes.

"I was really scared." He whispered, tears flowing freely down his cheeks," Please don't leave me again."

Sasuke smiled and placed his hands gently on Naruto's cheeks He softly kissed his cheeks, under his eye lips, his nose, and then his lips.

"You can't leave me either." He replied, and the smile Naruto gave him could have easily rivaled the sun.

* * *

*The "sign" the clock was giving Naruto was 444 which means "Death Death Death" In Chinese characters.


	7. Chapter 7

**Running on Empty**

**Chapter Seven**

The coming days were peaceful to say the least, and Sasuke and Naruto found themselves in the coveted "honeymoon stage." They were all smiles and giggles and casual touches. Naruto was pleasantly surprised that Sasuke was open to holding hands in public, even if it was only inside of their pockets. They tended to save money on motel rooms by only renting one with a single bed, which tended to get them a few raised eyebrows and sly winks from curious owners.

Even with his momentary happiness, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little bad for not getting in touch with his family for so long. Sure, they weren't his favorite people at the moment, but deep down he did love them and care about their feelings. Sometimes, anyway. In the end, he convinced Sasuke to take him to an internet café so he could check his social media and email in the like. Sure enough, he found an email from his father, dated a few days past.

_Naruto,_

_Although I don't know if you'll get this, I just want you to know that I hope you are safe. I did well in finding your email address, hard as it was. No one at your new school knew what it was, so I had to go back to your old one. (Yikes, right?).I've been looking for you everywhere, where on earth are you? I tried to report you missing at the police station, but they said you probably ran away from home and told me to wait. It drove me crazy that they wouldn't listen. I was all, look, I know my Naruto, and my Naruto doesn't just leave without saying anything, at least not for this long. Embarrassingly, I made quite a scene and ended up staying the night in a holding cell._

"Ha." Naruto chuckled. He couldn't imagine his straight-laced dad getting rowdy enough to get arrested. His was kind of sad that he wasn't there to see it.

_I, as your father, wasn't able to care for and think about you while trying to deal with my own troubles. It must have been hard for a young person like you to handle to convoluted situation. I believed that you would be alright, since you've always been the good, bright boy in my mind. I still believe in you. Please don't go too far._

_Minato_

"I wonder why he's not himself." Naruto mumbled.

"I wonder why he's not like himself." Sasuke said softly, eyes scanning over the email he received form Suigetsu.

_Hey Boss,_

_Since there's no news about you, is it alright to think you're somewhere safe at the moment? I think that Orochimaru will be able to find the real killer soon. Is there anything that comes to mind about the knife with your fingerprints that were found at the scene? It's been bothering me since it's completely different from the one you usually carry around. Boss, I'd like to see you in person, just to make sure you're all right. Please contact me._

"Is he baiting me?" He mumbled to himself. "Are you done, Naruto?"

"Oh, yeah, let's go." They logged off their computers and grabbed their jackets off the back of their chairs.

When they got outside, the ground was covered in a thick layer of white fluff. Sasuke pulled his jacket closer to himself while Naruto whooped and started to pull Sasuke along by the hand, gesturing wildly.

"Hey! Look, Sasuke, Its snowing!" Naruto said excitedly. "It's really freezing out here! When we first met I was wearing my autumn school uniform!"

Sasuke didn't hear him; he was too lost in thought. He barely noticed the snow landing on his face or Naruto's excited rambling.

* * *

"So you want to quit?" Orochimaru said, looking down at his perfectly manicured nails, running his file over them a few times for good measure. Even when they were cast downward, Sasuke could tell that his golden eyes held questions, as well as disapproval. Sasuke grit his teeth, hands wringing together somewhat nervously. This wasn't going well. He didn't think he could have been clearer. He just finished an entire speech on that very subject. Everyone that worked under the snake of a man knew that limited eye contact from him was never a good sign.

"Ah. How old are you this year, Sasuke?" His eyes trailed upward, scanning Sasuke's entire frame. Sasuke fought off a disgusted shiver. He hated the creep.

"Twenty-five."

"Hmm, yes, twenty-five. It sure has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Do you remember the promise you made back then?" Sasuke said carefully. "Just work for me for maybe ten, twelve years and I'll consider your father's debt paid in full. That's what you said."

Orochimaru tsk'ed and shook his head, tapping his file against his fingers two times. Sasuke stared at it, imagining running the damn thing though the bastard's eye.

"Eh? Why would I say something like that? You must of heard wrong."

"What, no, you-"

"Think about it. Your father owed me nearly 2.5 million dollars. That's double the amount by today's standards. You also have to take into account all the interest that accumulated after all of these years. And what about the money it took to take you in, feed you, and clothe you. Do you think that dropped out of the sky as well? No matter how hard you worked and even if I were to cut you some slack, there is no way you could pay me back before you were fifty. Think about it, my cute little Sasuke, It's not like you know how to do anything else. Now just go be a good little boy and keep working hard. I've thought of everything and have it all planned out. So don't you go thinking about anything and just do your job."

_"_It was then that I realized he never planned on letting me go."

"He talked to you like that? I would have punched him in the mouth!" Naruto said.

"And gotten killed, no doubt." Sasuke said with a laugh.

"Whatever. What happened next?"

"I vanished after I finished my last job."

"Just like that?"

"Well, when I left, I stole more than a million from Orochimaru's personal safe and ran. Someone should have told him that '1234' isn't a suitable passcode."

"A million? As in ONE million dollars?"

"Since they can't accuse me of stealing illegal money, they got me by framing me for murder."

"Where'd all that money go? Or do you still have it?"

"I used up a lot of it before I met you. I have about a quarter of it left now."

"Not fair! I've had to stay in cheap motels while you got to live it up!"

"Hey, I just got away with a million dollars, I wasn't afraid to use it."

They fell into comfortable silence, watching the snowy road pass them by. Soon, Naruto became fidgety, stealing glances at Sasuke who wasn't paying him any attention. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times, not really sure how to bring up what he was going to say next.

"Hey, Sasuke."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we'll be able to run like this again?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Someday…someday, instead of being on the run, I wanna go on a real trip with you. Somewhere like Suna, surrounded by sand and blue sky while on the swaying back of a camel. I think it be pretty nice to experience something like that. Or, someplace like Rock Country, a place where there are so many people that the cities seem to be bursting kind of sounds good too. We could go to all the ramen restaurants or go but a bunch of mangas. You could take pictures of it all too! Where do you want to go, Sasuke?"

"Hmm, since I'm a wanted person, I don't think I can apply for a passport…"

"Ugh! Don't be so damn practical and serious, Sasuke! Can't you just imagine stuff without stressing out? It's not like you have to pay to imagine things, can't you imagine a world where we don't need passports?"

"Fine, fine. Hmm…I want to go to Fire Sea."

"The Fire Sea?"

"Yeah. I saw a movie once with the same name a while back. It was about some soldiers that were lost on an island in the Fire Sea. They lived there peacefully, unaware that the war had ended. They realized that being there was carefree and nice. They didn't want to leave."

"Sounds good! Let's go there someday too!"

"Yeah, let's go together. To Rock and Suna as well."

"OH! Ame too! I've always wanted to go there!"

"How about Konoha? I've always seen it in movies."

"Yeah. Yeah! How about Otokage?"

"Otokage? Why not Tea Country?"

"Whoa! I totally forgot about Tea! Anywhere else?"

"Grass?"

"I want to go to the mountains!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Running On Empty **

**Final Chapter**

* * *

They stopped at a rest area after a few miles after Naruto had foolishly drank nearly an entire two liter bottle of soda and then complained that he had to pee. Sasuke tried to ignore him, but his fidgeting was starting to piss him off, so he pulled into a space and unlocked the doors.

"Hurry up and use the restroom. I'm going to get some coffee. You want some food or anything?" He said, gesturing at the convenience store right next to the rest area.

"Get me a hot chocolate."

"Why? So you can complain after we go a few feet again?"

"It wasn't a few feet! We were driving for like an hour!"

"Whatever. If you have to go again I'm just going to pull over on the side of the road."

"Hell no! It's freezing out here! I'll freeze my dick off!"

"Shut up and go!"

"I'm going, I'm going! Geez!"

Naruto walked into the bathroom, which was very quiet and dingy, but that mattered little to him now. He's back teeth were floating. Besides, he liked his privacy.

It only took him a few moments to finish his business, zip up and wash his hands. He vaguely registered the sound of the door opening and falling shut. As he gazed at his own refection in the mirror, a green blur crept into his peripherals.

"Hello." The man said, and Naruto nodded at him without looking. _What kind of weirdo makes small talk in a bathroom?_

The man came over to the cabinet of sinks, turning on one and placing his hands under it. Naruto was starting to feel uncomfortable and, despite himself, took a little peek at the man. _Silver hair, green coat, spider web tattoo…wait, silver hair?_

He turned to look at the man square in the face, not surprised at all that he was looking back at him. The man was smiling, his purple eyes little slits behind scrunched lids. Naruto noticed that, even though he was smiling hard, there was no humor or light in his eyes. He shivered.

_Where have I seen him before?_

"Your hair's grown longer since I last saw you." He stated simply.

_Oh shit, the roof. The guy on the roof with Sasuke that time. Oh shit. It's the guy that's set him up! Fuck!_

Naruto whirled around quickly, but the guy-Suigetsu- was already prepared. He reached out and jerked him back roughly, covering his mouth and dragging him by the hair to an empty stall. He threw him roughly on the seat, kicking Naruto hard in the stomach when he tried to lounge for the door. Groaning, his heart sank when Suigetsu reached back and slid the lock in place. _Well, shit, is this how I'm going to go out? In a dirty ass bathroom on the side of the road? I didn't even that hot chocolate. I didn't even get to tell Sasuke I love him. Wait, wha-?_

Suigetsu harshly pushed his head back against the wall, yanking up his head by his hair so they could look each other in the face. He kept his grip firm over Naruto's mouth, sitting on his lap when Naruto tried to kick out his feet. Naruto froze.

"Well look at you! You've gotten pretty cute! Such soft skin, like a model. Maybe I could give you to one of the strip joints I run; I bet you'd make a lot of money for me, hm?" He chuckled softly when Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Or maybe a gay club would be better? Ya know, there's something I heard before, It's called "Stockholm Syndrome", you've heard of it right? Yeah, I know you have. I think your catching my drift. You've fallen for him right? Precious little Sasuke, everyone he comes in contact with just loves him to bits." He pulled Naruto's head forward and smashed it against the wall, making Naruto cringe.

"Fucking bastards. You must have had _lots_ of fun while I've been running my feet off looking for you guys. How far have you got with him, hm? Sucked him off? Slept with him? What did you do to make him want to keep you around? Come on, _show me."_

* * *

Sasuke pulled out yet another cigarette and he waited against the car. _What the hell is taking him so long? Did he have to take a shit? His cocoa's getting cold._ He made his way into the bathroom, ready to call out to Naruto to see what was going on but his voice died in his throat. Naruto was leaning against the opposite wall, head lolled forward with his body completely still. Standing next to him was probably one of the last people in the world he wanted to see.

"Long time no see, Boss!" He called out with a mock wave.

"Suigetsu, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you, obviously. Look at you, you got hotter since the last time I saw you. But I think you look better with longer hair and a beard. Playing with kids has turned you into a kid, huh?"

"What do you want, huh? Was framing me for murder not enough? Come to kick my kittens too? Why are you so dead-set on having me around?"

"Did you really not know? Come on, Sasuke, I've always looked up to you. But ever since I started working under you your eyes have been elsewhere. Even though you're the best at your job, the guy everybody wants to be around, you couldn't care less."

"So what, your hero-worship of me led for you to do this? That doesn't make any sense!"

"I thought that you would stay with the group and be protected if I framed you. We all know that people in are field that have problems can get them "taken care of" in the blink of an eye. But who would have thought you'd run off like that? I thought you realize that we were your family and we'd always take care of you."

"My family died years ago, Suigetsu. I never thought of the group like home."

"And ya know why that is?" Sasuke jumped slightly when Suigetsu pulled out a knife, aiming it Naruto's neck. "You always daydream about other shit and running off with guys like him! If you would have been happy where you were and with what you had, we wouldn't be standing here right now!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. He was ready to pounce, but he wasn't close enough, he would have too much time to stab Naruto before he got over there.

"Get away from him, Suigetsu; this is between you and me."

"Ohhh, I like that look on your face! So you're mad? How much madder would you get if I sliced open his neck?" Sasuke didn't answer, and Suigetsu threw back his head and laughed.

"It must be true, then. You guys have gotten pretty cozy. That's too bad; I guess I have to send you off together, then."

"So now you're going to kill me, is that it?"

"I was going to forgive you, if you would have just gone with the police. I paid them off; they weren't going to hurt you. I just wanted to talk. But you had to go and embarrass me. So you had to pay. But then that bastard Orochimaru wanted to just let you go. Can you believe that? All that shit he talked about tying you to us forever, then he just up and decides that we shouldn't "hold you back" and you had "done your part". Dumb bastard was in love with you. So I killed him too."

"What the fuck? If you love that group so much, why would you kill the very man who created it? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It doesn't matter now; you can't get away from me, Sasuke! If you miss him, I'm sure you'll see him and your little boyfriend in hell. Then they can decide who gets you!"

With that he lunged catching Sasuke off guard and in the side. Sasuke grimaced, but just managed to dodge his next jab. He reached behind him and grabbed at the soap dispenser, yanking it off the wall and throwing it into Suigetsu's face.

"Aggh, you bastard! What the fuck did you throw at me?!" He flailed around wildly, clutching his face.

"Get over here, I'll fucking kill you!" He screamed. Sasuke dove for Naruto, quickly checking his pulse and gathered him into his arms. He nearly screamed at the extra weight on his injured side, but kept moving. Naruto safety was more important than anything right now.

"Get this straight, you crazy fuck, I didn't join the gang like you did, I never had a choice. But now that I do, I'll never look back."

"Hahaha! Stop joking! We're the same and we always will be! Your mine, your just like me!"

_Whatever. Think what you want._

He struggled out to the car, adjusting Naruto carefully in the passenger's seat. He ignored the deranged screams coming from behind him. He paused to grasp at his side, gasping at the pain.

_I can't go back. I won't._

His eyes drifted over to Naruto's peaceful form.

_Not ever._

* * *

Naruto wasn't ashamed to be dreaming of Sasuke, far from it. They were floating on a white cloud of nothingness together. He felt peaceful. Sasuke was laying net to him, both hand in hand, angel wings sprawled behind them. Sasuke had one of his rare smiles on his face, and Naruto couldn't be happier.

"Hey Sasuke-"He started to say, but then paused. His hand felt sticky. He let go of Sasuke's hand and raised it to his face. It was red. _That's odd._

He turned to look at up at Sasuke's face.

It was covered in blood.

* * *

He jerked awake, eyes scanning his surrounding frantically. The off-white walls alerted him that he was back the motel room. But how? Unless-?

"Sasuke?" He said, sitting up. He saw him resting on the other bed, eyes closed, a hand gripping his side. His torso was covered in bandages, since looked suspiciously red. Naruto jumped up, alarmed.

"Oh good, your awake. How are you feeling?"

"Why are you worried about me at a time like this? What happened to you?"

"Well, I may or may not have gotten ran though like a shish kebab. Calm down, it's not that deep. He missed my intestines."

"Sasuke, we need to go to a hospital!"

"No. No hospitals. The police will be there before I even sign in."

"Fuck that! You have to be alive to worry about going to jail!" Naruto could feel frustrated tears as well as another emotion he could quite place welling up in the back of his eyes. He willed them away.

"Sasuke-"

"You should leave now, Naruto. It's too dangerous for you here."

"WHAT THE FUCK? YOU WANT ME TO LEAVE YOU LIKE THIS!? HELL NO!" He yelled.

"IT'S NOT A MATTER OF WHAT WE WANT OR DON'T WANT!" Sasuke yelled back, grimacing and folding in on himself when it bothered his wound.

"Shit! You okay?" Naruto bit his lip, feeling helpless. Sasuke sighed, weak against the worry Naruto was showing towards him.

"Don't get upset, Naruto, I'm fine."

"What do you mean fine? You're breathing hard and-shit Sasuke you're burning up! Hold on a minute." Naruto stood up, automatically going into doctor-mode. Watching his father for years had really rubbed off on him.

"Naruto-"

"No buts! I'll be back in a second." He half jogged over to the sink, wetting a hand towel with cold water and ran back to Sasuke. He gently dabbed it over his body.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"What do you think?"

"Don't take that tone with me. I need to keep you talking. If you're talking you're not dead."

_Shit, he's still hot. It's not working. What should I do?_

He looked at the clock.

_It's 1; 30AM...There's no pharmacy open. Can't get any fever medication. It can't be helped._

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked warily as Naruto began to strip.

"Just trust me. I'll be back in a second."

He kicked his clothes off quickly and ran to the bathroom. He turned the water on to the coldest setting, flinching when it first touched his skin. When he was thoroughly wet and cold, he can back at climbed onto the bed, clothing Sasuke to his chest.

"How do you feel?" Sasuke reached for him, and Naruto shivered for a reason completely separate from the cold.

"Better."

_Thank goodness, his breathing has gotten better. _He said to himself after a few minutes. _But he's heating up again._

Naruto gently pulled himself away from Sasuke, fighting down a smile as Sasuke's closed eyes scrunched at the loss. He ran back under the shower again a few more times to keep his temperature down. He sneezed and swayed a little under the water. He could feel his lips turning blue._ Shit, at this rate I'll be dead before him._

He went back and re-entangled himself in between Sasuke, shaking him harshly when Sasuke didn't seem to be moving. Sasuke moaned softly.

"Calm down. I'm not dead. I jus' wanna sleep."

"No sleeping. Wake the hell up."

"….Asshole."

In the end, Sasuke did end up falling asleep, and Naruto could feel himself fading as well.

"Please don't die Sasuke. I like you, I really like you. I-I love you. Please, please, please…."

* * *

Naruto woke up sometime late morning, tucked into the bed underneath him snugly. Sasuke must have woken up before him and done so, as well as leaving without saying anything. Naruto closed his eyes and fought off tears of…something.

Sasuke was gone.

He sat up after a few moments of composing himself. He wrapped his naked form in the sheets and his eyes drifted over to the other bed. His eyes widened slightly at Sasuke's bag perched there. He stood and walked over to it. He gently unzipped it, surprised to find maybe hundreds of film rolls inside, a little white envelope with his name in what he could only guess was Sasuke's handwriting sitting on top of them.

He opened it, laughing when he saw quite a bit of money stuffed inside and a little note for him.

**_Thank you for saving me Naruto, In more ways than one. Stay alive. We'll meet again someday._**

* * *

I traveled for a few months after he left, leaving his bag behind. While I was alone, I started developing the films, one by one. The pictures he treasured so much and I'd been so curious about…were a huge disappointment. _Why did he take these pictures?_ I asked myself. They were completely useless. At least that's what I thought at first. I became more interested in them after I looked at them for a while. Why was someone like him, who didn't care about the things around him, so diligent about taking these pictures? What was he thinking while he took them? In those countless pictures, there was none of him in any of them.

The next time I saw him, he was on the news.

_"Uchiha Sasuke, the prime suspect in the murder of…after almost eight months….taken into custody…has denied charges…remained silent about the kidnapping that occurred nearly four months….victims status is still missing… "_

Seeing him there, dragged along by police, looking downward and ignoring the reporter's questions, almost brought tears to my eyes.

Then I realized that he must not have like to have his picture taken.

Uchiha Sasuke, murder suspect, Main collector of money for illegal private money loaner, related to gang activities. That wasn't someone new. That wasn't someone _I_ knew.

It was then that I knew the meaning behind all those pictures.

The pictures were a self-portrait of him. Not the self the others saw. Mundane things, like airplanes and dogs and rabbits and subways. The freedoms that he saw for himself were captured in those things.

After he was taken into custody I went to the police station. To let them know that I wasn't a captive and I was alright. Of course, they didn't believe me at first and I had to sit through a long interrogation. My father came as soon as he heard. He rushed in, all frantic, looking around for me and calling my name. He had starting working again at a small, local clinic.

_"Thank you. Thank you,"_

He just kept hugging me tightly an awkwardly and thanked me over and over.

_"I'm sorry. Thank you for being safe."_

He never asked me anything.

When I finally got around to the final few films, I found an enormous amount of pictures of me. The me that he saw. From the time I was about to jump, the day at the beach, when he saw me cry, other pictures I had no idea were even taken. When I'd thought that I was completely broken down, completely wrong, completely alone. That I had nothing to lose and could do whatever I wanted. But he saw the me that shone brilliantly.

_I want to see him._

_I want to see him._

* * *

Naruto ascended the stairs leisurely, cellphone and schoolbag slung over his shoulder. His pace slowed as he saw the light peeping though the small window in the roof entrance door. He hadn't been here in ages.

It had been only a few minutes since he'd been home, an hour since he attended school, three months after he started going to school again, four since he'd slowly begun to quit smoking, and nearly a year since he'd seen Sasuke.

He reached the door, sighed, and pushed it open. It really was a beautiful day; sunny, bright, with fluffy clouds sliding across the sky. Naruto made his way over to the ledge, only a single, rusty pipe separating him from falling. He made sure to stand a good distance away. He smiled. Everything was…okay. He didn't feel bad at all. He looked to his right and grinned. There, sitting with a pair of angel wings and eating a cake was someone he wanted to see desperately.

"Yo, Sasuke!" He said with a wave.

Sasuke turned, smiling as he did so, worry Naruto with the way he was perched on the ledge. He laughed when he saw Naruto in his school uniform.

"Long time no see. You cut your hair short again. I like it better that way." Naruto rolled his eyes at how easily Sasuke fell into conversation like that hadn't _not_ been separated forever. But he couldn't deny how happy it made him just to hear his voice.

"How are you here?"

"Suigetsu confessed. Spewing some shit about how he didn't want me to hate him or something. How he just wanted me to be happy. I was completely zoned out and not listening anyway. Too focused on how bad my skin would clash in jailhouse orange."

"Haha. You're so stupid. Doesn't that seem too easy?"

"Do you really care?"

"No, not really."

"Good." Sasuke stood on the ledge, spreading his arms out and turning his face to the sky. "I'm a free man. Now I'm just Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well nice to meet you, Just-Uchiha-Sasuke."

"Don't be an ass."

"You love it." Sasuke smiled down at him.

"Yeah, and I missed it." They both stared at each other until Naruto blushed and looked away.

"So what's with the wings?"

"They gave it to me when I bought the cake. How do they look? I was congratulating myself on my new life. Maybe if I practice, I'll be able to fly."

"They look good! But come down, your scaring me."

Sasuke jumped down, landing in front of Naruto in a perfect leap. He stared quietly for a few seconds, just seeming to take him in.

"So Naruto…" He said, cocking his head to the side. "Since I'm a free man… I was wondering if I could put in a formal request to be your official boyfriend."

"Formal request? Let me think about it…"

"Naruto-"

"Kidding! I'm kidding! Sure, I would love to formally respond to your formal request with a formal yes."

"Good. Oh, and Naruto? I love you too."

"Shit, you heard me then?"

"I let you have your moment."

"Thanks….boyfriend."

"Ugh. Now I'll never hear the end of this now, huh?"

"Never? We talking forever?"

"As long as we can. How's that sound?"

"That sounds perfect."

"You busy today?"

"No, not really."

"Wanna go somewhere?"

"Sure! Where to?"

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Anywhere!"

"Let's go anywhere, then."

_We're alive._

_"_Hey Sasuke, what are you going to do now?"

"Umm…I don't know yet."

"How about being a photographer?"

"Photographer? Don't you have to go to college to do something like that?"

"It's always better to study right?"

"You and studying! Do you think I could even get into college?"

"We could go together. I'll teach you everything you don't know. I'm a pretty good student."

"Yeah."

_We can always keep running._

_"_But let's forget about that right now!"

"For what? What are we doing now?"

Naruto paused, spinning around and kissing Sasuke square on the lips. He smiled, and Sasuke felt like he could never feel any freer than this moment.

"Right now, I'm going to show you the world."

**Running on Empty**

* * *

Here's A New Year's Gift! Thanks to everyone that follow/favorite this story! Thanks for the reviews! (This chapter took me forever! J ) -The Wonder Years


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